Insomniac Games wants to bring Sunset Overdrive to Windows, but 'the ball is in Microsoft's court'

In response to a fan tweet, representatives from Insomniac Games confirmed they're keen on porting Sunset Drive to PC—but Microsoft has to sign off first.

"We'd love it if it could happen but [the] ball is in Xbox's court," the tweet reads.

Microsoft and Insomniac have a complicated relationship. The console manufacturer permitted Insomniac to hold on to the rights to the Sunset Overdrive IP provided the game stayed exclusive to Xbox One. Meaning, Microsoft gets to decide when and on what platform any ports (and likely future installments) appear.

One would assume Microsoft would be more likely to stretch that definition to its PC operating system as opposed to, say, the PlayStation 4.

Sunset Overdrive released in 2014, long before the advent of Play Anywhere, Microsoft's initiative that allows users to buy one digital copy of first-party games and play on both Xbox One and Windows 10. Microsoft announced Play Anywhere at E3, explaining that first-party games like Gears of War 4 and Forza Horizon 3 would support it going forward.

"Every new title published from Microsoft Studios will support Xbox Play Anywhere and will be easily accessible in the Windows Store," it said.

However, it's unclear whether previously released first-party titles—such as Sunset Overdrive and Halo 5—could be retroactively patched to support Play Anywhere. Given Microsoft's greater commitment to backwards-compatibility as evinced through the growing number of Xbox 360 games playable on Xbox One, adding support for older titles seems at least a possibility.

David L. Craddock writes fiction, nonfiction, and grocery lists. He is the author of the Stay Awhile and Listen series, and the Gairden Chronicles series of fantasy novels for young adults. Outside of writing, he enjoys playing Mario, Zelda, and Dark Souls games, and will be happy to discuss at length the myriad reasons why Dark Souls 2 is the best in the series. Follow him online at davidlcraddock.com and @davidlcraddock.